Nikon CoolPix S700

One of the problems with small compact cameras is that you generally lose either picture quality or performance when you make them smaller. Luckily most of the large camera makers have realized that consumers aren’t going to take these performance and quality hits, but are still going to demand small cameras. Nikon is leading the pack with the small, stylish and quick compact camera.

The Nikon CoolPix S700 is both stylish and quick. As a top-of-the-line compact model in Nikon’s Style series, the S700 certainly has the specs to compete against all challengers: 12.1 megapixels, Nikon’s VR image stabilization, sensitivity to ISO 3200, a 2.7-inch screen, and a brushed metal body. In spite of its feature-rich approach, the S700 has an air of simplicity – both stylistically and functionally – about it that has undeniable appeal.

Here are a few of the technical specifications for the Cyber-shot DSC-T300:

• Street price: $269.99 approx.
• A 3x Nikkor zoom lens with a 35mm equivalent range of 37 to 111mm
• A 1/1.72-inch CCD, producing images at up to 4000×3000 pixels
• Sensitivity up to ISO 3200
• A shutter speed range from 1/2000 to 4 seconds
• AF options including automatic and manually selected 9-point, center, and face priority

Things I like
The slightly rounded edges and blocky shape make the S700 easy to grip firmly and operate with one hand, and the camera has a nice balance in hand. The controls have a solid feel for the most part, and the AutoFocus is amazing.

With AF mode, you can focus on up to 12 faces to make sure that they’re all in the picture. The S700 has a number of great built in features that were done extremely well. In terms of performance, Nikon’s sensor shifting Vibration Reduction (or VR) image stabilization system may be consistently the best on the market, and implementation in the S700 is no exception.

Things I don’t like
The combined scroll whee on several of the current-generation Nikon compacts feels cheap and insubstantial. The thin plastic battery door doesn’t have a nice feeling either – not a big deal, but given that this is the flagship S-series Nikon, a little more might be expected.

Like most other cameras at high ISO (1600 and above), the shots become so noisy that they’re essentially useless. I’d like to see cameras where you can actually shoot at such high ISO.

Pros:

• Very nice grip
• Small size
• High resolution
• Image Stabilization works really well
• Lots of great manual modes

Cons:

• No manual view finder
• Noisy at high ISO levels

Final Thoughts
While the Coolpix S700 is certainly not perfect, there’s a lot to like about this camera. Image sharpness and overall quality are truly impressive, the camera exposes and renders colors well, and ease of use is very good.

Rating: 4.3 / 5